Five Roses
by Dexter I. C. T. A. T. O. Reyes
Summary: And as her friend, he easily recognized two things: her heart was with Ikuto, and Kairi needed let her go. With five roses, he would do just that. - Drabble-like chapters.
1. Intro

**Intro**

There was a quote Kairi once heard: "True love doesn't have a happy ending, because true love never ends. Letting go is one way of saying I love you." He saw it the day after Amu returned from the hunt for her missing charas.

Kairi knew she'd realized something about herself, but it wasn't until a conversation following her arrival that Kairi figured out what the realization was. It only took that one sentence.

"_Well, while I was there, I saw... Ikuto."_

The way she blushed, looked away, and hesitated gave her away.

Amu was Kairi's first love, but above that, she was his friend. And as _her_ friend, he easily recognized two things: her heart was with Ikuto, and Kairi needed let her go.

With five roses, he would do just that.

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**A/N:** I intended to edit it again, but someone (you know who you are) wanted me to post this, so here it is. I have a feeling that this wasn't as good as it could have been, so criticism and suggestions are _very_ welcome.


	2. Rose I

**Rose I: Pink**

_Ding dong._

Amu headed down the stairs, opened the door, and revealed the object on her porch. A pink rose. She picked it up, noticing a small tag.

_Amu, this rose represents the happiness and admiration I felt being near you._

Every time Kairi interacted with her, his heart fluttered and he blushed like Amu would with Ikuto or Tadase. Her confidence and determination to keep alive the dreams within everyone sparked his interest — she even helped him in spite of the things he'd done.

That happiness and admiration were feelings that wouldn't change. But his _romantic_ feelings? _They_ would change.

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**A/N:** Not very happy with my ending for this chapter... Oh well.


	3. Rose II

**Rose II: Yellow**

When the doorbell rang the next day, Amu didn't expect another rose. Never had she received flowers like this. Sure, she'd gotten them in numbers, but it usually happened all at once. Bright yellow petals covered this single rose.

_Amu, this rose represents how much I cherish our friendship and the joy it brings me._

There was a huge difference between their relationship at first meeting, and their relationship now. Though at first there was much hostility and doubt, it soon grew to the point where he fell in love and resolved to become a man worthy enough for her.

He enjoyed the closeness they shared, even if it wasn't exactly in the way he really wanted.

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**A/N: **I got more hits than I thought I would get during my last update, so I'm pretty happy :)


	4. Rose III

**Rose III: Blue**

Amu hoped that the doorbell ringing would bring her a new rose. It sounded selfish, true, but perhaps another rose would bring another clue. In the last note, he claimed to be a friend. Was it Tadase? Nagihiko? Some long lost friend she'd forgotten?

She didn't know, and she never would, unless a new rose was brought along with a note.

The rose was one she'd heard of, but never seen. A blue rose.

_Amu, this rose represents how strongly I feel that you are out of my reach, and in the reach of another._

A puzzled Amu stood out on her porch, and a pondering Kairi was hidden by her house. He knew he wasn't Amu's first choice. There was Ikuto, Tadase, even Kūkai or Nagihiko before him.

That just increased his reason to move on.

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**A/N: **I was supposed to update this on Friday, but I was kinda busy. Though last time I updated, I noticed that not only did this story get more hits, but my other [discontinued] one did, too. Hm..


	5. Rose IV

**Rose IV: Green**

Amu expected the next rose to arrive, but she definitely did not expect its colour. A green rose? Completely unheard of. She examined it much longer than she had the others, even bringing it closer to her face every few seconds. Her hand grazed the tag.

"_Amu, this rose is not naturally existent. Its colour represents the jealousy and cowardice I feel when you are with others."_

When he followed Amu on her date with Tadase, jealousy raged within him. When Ikuto jumped in, he felt no better. He could hardly admit to it and hid it. He was a coward.

The only thing that made him feel better was that _he_ confessed first.

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**A/N:** Thanks for _all_ the reviews, guys. You probably have no idea how happy that made me ~


	6. Rose V

**Rose V: Black**

The roses propped up in Amu's room were colourful, so much more colourful than the current rose by her doorway. Only when she held it up did she notice that amongst the black petals, there were tints of deep red. This time, there was not just a tag, but a letter, too. She read the tag first.

_Amu, this rose is my farewell to you in moving on and fulfilling a new beginning for me._

Where he usually hid after delivering each rose, Kairi heaved a sigh. He felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Never mind that it was indirect — in some way or another, Kairi had told Amu, his first love, that he wanted to move on.

But the letter was still in her hands, waiting to be read.

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**A/N: **The next chapter's the last, though I'm pretty sure you could tell before I said it.


	7. The Letter

**The Letter**

The neat printing on the paper in her hands looked familiar. She knew that she knew who wrote it, but she couldn't quite place her finger on who it was.

_Amu,_

_If you are already reading this, I assume you've already received the roses, and read the tags before reading this. Even before this letter is done and you see my signature, you will already know who I am._

_We met not too long ago, with a rough beginning to our friendship. When I joined the Guardians, I joined with no intention of being friends, but rather, only to spy on you like my sister asked. When I was convinced that I would never be forgiven, you showed me my true self._

_Even before that happened, I knew I was growing to love you, never expressing it clearly until the day I left, declaring that I wouldn't return until I became worthy to call myself a man. And the day I did return, I realized how far away you were from my sights. That you'd fallen in love with another._

_When I realized this, I decided that I would move on and let you be happy with the man you love. Though I find myself more of a man, I still hold the cowardice I've always had. And so I couldn't tell you this to your face. Instead I used roses._

_After I realized who you loved, I found a quote. It read, "True love doesn't have a happy ending, because true love never ends. Letting go is one way of saying I love you."_

_Though it is sad that I won't find my happy ending with you, it's enough to say that I had a happy beginning. I hope we shall both find someone to regard as our true loves._

_Good luck with Ikuto,_

_Kairi_

If it were the her before, Amu would have surely been blushing madly, even going into fits about his closing line, but she'd changed since then. Instead, a simple, yet sincere smile graced her lips. And Amu did, however, also let through a very faint blush. The change she'd undergone, she knew, was definitely not up to par with the man who'd given her the five roses.

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**A/N:** This one doesn't count as a drabble, does it? I hope my final chapter wasn't disappointing. I'm very proud to have finished this story, seeing that I haven't finished any story since... who knows when. Thank you to MickeyEkaltadetaOctopusWhapuku, AmuletLovely, Blossoming Hope, Five Centimeters, Sayonara7Sauce, and Erigay for your support. Whether you reviewed, favourited, alerted, or pushed me to post this story, I appreciate it all.

Until my next story (or so I hope),

- Dexter :)


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